


Accidental Praise

by QueenOfCarrotFlowers



Series: Carrot's Romance Fics [10]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cunnilingus, F/M, Praise Kink, Roommates, accidental praise kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:27:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22640209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenOfCarrotFlowers/pseuds/QueenOfCarrotFlowers
Summary: Ben likes his new roommate, Rey. She's smart and funny, and she's a good cook. She's fun to hang out with, too, although she seems to blush a lot. Maybe she's coming down with something? Anyway, when she has an interview and she needs some help selecting her outfit, Ben is there to help her out, any way he can.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: Carrot's Romance Fics [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1801348
Comments: 40
Kudos: 285
Collections: For one is both and both are one in love: The Reylo Fanfiction Anthology's Valentine's Day Exchange





	Accidental Praise

**Author's Note:**

  * For [andabatae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/andabatae/gifts).



> A treat for Anda, who had this prompt that was just too good not to write:
> 
> Ben and Rey are roommates. He realizes she has a praise kink and starts giving more and more compliments. It leads to smut, obviously.
> 
> My addition: Ben is an idiot, so he doesn't actually realize what he's doing - at least not immediately. Once he catches on he really catches on, like _really_ catches on. Like there's a lot of smut that I wasn't expecting to happen, but then it did!
> 
> This is not my usual thing, I hope I did okay! Thanks to flypaper_brain for the beta, she is the best!

“So the rent is due on the first, but I pay the utilities on the fifteenth so there’s a bit of wiggle room with those if things get tight. And I’ll clear out a shelf of the fridge and half of the freezer - and I’ll make sure there’s space in the door for you too.” Ben paused, frowning, and looked at the floor, worried that he might have forgotten something. His very-soon-to-be-roommate, Rey, shifted from foot to foot and sighed, her fingers toying with the condensation on her glass of ice water that sat on the granite-topped island in front of her. The sigh agitated him slightly, like she thought he was wasting her time, but he kept thinking for another moment and found what he was looking for. “Oh right. Do you need cabinet space for your cooking stuff? I can make room for you, but you’re welcome to use anything of mine as long as you clean it after.”

Rey made a noise he couldn’t quite parse - it was something like a laugh, but not quite - and shook her head. “I have two plates and a fork, and one pan that I inherited from my last roommate.” She had an English accent that, while not exactly lilting, Ben found that he enjoyed listening to. She reached a hand behind her and squeezed the lowest of the three buns that lined the back of her head. “If you’re sure you don’t mind me using your things, I will take you up on that offer.”

Satisfied, Ben reached out a hand to her, and she took it. She’d shaken his hand when she’d arrived, too, and he had immediately liked how it felt. She gripped his hand firmly, and looked him directly in the eye. Ben knew that people found him intimidating - he was physically large, and had what his friend Poe referred to as “resting bitch face” (fondly, he thought, although he was never really sure) - but Rey didn’t seem to find him intimidating, and he thought that was good. If you were going to share living space with someone it was better if they weren’t afraid of you.

“Welcome home,” Ben said, and let her hand go.

He didn’t notice the wistful expression that passed across her face at his words, or how she glanced back at the house longingly as she walked out into the chilly Autumn afternoon.

* * *

“Are you baking? It smells amazing!” Ben called as he walked in the front door after a long day of work. He kicked the snow off his boots and hung up his coat in the closet before heading into the kitchen. Rey was at the sink, and when he came into the room she placed the metal bowl she’d been washing into the draining rack, turned around, and grinned at him.

“Oh, I’m just making some brownies for class tomorrow,” she said. Her cheeks were a little pink, and Ben wondered if she might have the water turned on too hot. But then she turned the tap off and dried her hands, and he figured it wasn’t worth mentioning.

“What kind of brownies? Just chocolate?” He squatted in front of the oven and gazed through the glass of the door, as though he could see anything in the unlit space.

“Chocolate cherry. My specialty.” There was a hint of pride in her voice that Ben liked the sound of. He glanced up at her and nodded.

“That sounds delicious. Maybe you have one to spare?”

She shrugged. “Maybe.” Her cheeks were still quite pink. Perhaps she was getting sick? It was cute, though. Her hands moved across the countertop, and Ben stood up to find her toying with what looked like a bunch of small sticks. She saw his confusion and laughed. “Cherry stems,” she said, holding one up. “Do you know how to tie one into a knot?”

Ben took it out of her hand and tied it with his fingers. She laughed, and it lit up her whole face. She really did have a pleasant face, even with the bit of grease across her cheek, left over, he supposed, from a stint at the garage where she worked.

“Not like that, silly. Like this.” She picked up another one, popped it in her mouth, moved her jaw for a minute - Ben couldn’t take his eyes off her lips - and eventually stuck out her tongue, the stem lying there, right on the tip, tied in a perfect knot.

“Woah!” Ben reached out and plucked the stem off her tongue without thinking about it. “That’s so awesome! I’ve never seen that before.”

Rey grinned, her cheeks flaring red again. “Thanks, it’s just a silly little trick. Nothing, really.”

“No, that’s neat.” He picked up another one. “Can you teach me?”

They spent the next few minutes with Ben trying desperately to figure out how to maneuver his tongue correctly in order to make a loop and then hold it while pushing the end of the stem through that loop, and Rey trying to explain while also laughing hysterically.

Once the timer for the brownies went off and Rey donned the mitts to pull the hot pan out of the oven, Ben sighed and tossed the stems into the trash.

“Oh, well,” he sighed, breathing in the warm steam, scented with chocolate and cherry. “Guess I need to add my tongue to my regular workout cycle. Maybe next time I’ll do better.” He chuckled at his own stupid joke.

Rey didn’t laugh, busy setting the pan on the wire rack and puttering around to pull out a knife and a plate.

“Brownie?” she finally said, just a bit breathless from all the movement. Her cheeks were pink again, but then the oven was very hot, wasn’t it.

* * *

Ben walked into the kitchen on Sunday evening to find Rey at the island, books and papers spread out across the expanse of granite. When she noticed him she started to gather it all up, but he waved his hand at her. 

“Don’t worry about it, it’s an excuse to order in instead of cooking.” He pulled his phone out of the back pocket of his jeans and glanced back at her. “I’m thinking Thai. What are you thinking?”

She groaned and laid her head on her folded arms. She was looking very pink again, but Ben had decided after months of living with her that it must just be something physiological. She just blushed really easily or something.

“I’m thinking I’ve been studying too hard to work, and I don’t have money for take out. I’ll just eat an Eggo or something.”

“No way,” Ben declared, pulling up Grubhub and scrolling to the menu of his favorite Thai restaurant. “My treat. You’ve got midterms this week, right? Need to feed your brain.”

Rey had mentioned her upcoming exams the previous week during one of their shared dinners - Rey had made chicken pot pie, which was simple but Ben loved it and it seemed to be one of her favorites too, she made it a lot. But he would have known anyway, given her late nights and her books and papers, pacing nervously around the house with a stack of notecards clutched in her hand.

“Yeah,” she mumbled into the countertop. She sighed, and her shoulders heaved. “I have a big one tomorrow and I’m afraid I’m not ready.”

“Not too big for you, I’m sure.” Ben placed a hand on her back and rubbed it briefly, hoping she’d find it soothing. Instead she tensed up, so he pulled his hand away quickly. He didn’t particularly like it when people touched him either, it was fair enough. He entered Rey’s usual order - chicken pad thai with extra peanuts - and his own, and she groaned.

“I don’t know, Ben. This exam is 50% of my grade and it’s not a topic I care about, which makes it, uh, pretty hard.” She lifted her head up and looked over at him. She was quite flushed.

“Are you feeling okay, aside from the exam?” Ben asked, pressing the button to complete the order.

“Yeah, why?” She frowned at him.

“No reason! Food will be here in 45 minutes. Want me to help you study until then?” Her face scrunched up adorably, and she shook her head. “Come on,” he insisted. “Just tell me about the topic.”

“You won’t understand!” 

Ben fought back his sudden annoyance at the barb. “Oh, come on, Rey, I’m not stupid.”

Rey growled and slapped her palms on the countertop, closed her eyes, and took a few deep breaths. When she opened her eyes she was calm again. “I don’t think you’re stupid, Ben. I know you’re smart, it’s just… really hard, like I barely understand it myself. How can I explain it to you if _I_ don’t understand it?” Her voice was wavering, like she was close to tears, so he reached over and tapped one of her knuckles, then the next one. “What are you doing?” He tapped again, making a _boop_ noise, and she chuckled.

“I’m making you laugh. And it worked, right?”

“I guess.” She pulled her hand away and placed it in her lap.

“Look, even if I don’t understand, it will help you to talk through it. I promise. Can we try? For the next,” he checked his phone, “forty minutes? Just try.”

Ben pulled out a stool and sat down, and Rey pulled out a stack of notes, and for the next 40 minutes she explained to him the basics of thermodynamics, and by the time their food arrived she was answering his questions with comfortable authority, and barely referring to her notes. Ben was impressed.

“That was great, Rey,” he declared, pulling down a couple of plates and dishing her pad thai onto hers, along with a spring roll and a spoonful of his red curry. “You’re so smart, and I feel like I understand what you were talking about, for the most part.”

“Really?” She pushed a pile of papers aside and Ben set the plate in front of her. “Oh! Thank you for the curry.”

“Yes! And no problem, I know you like a little curry with your noodles.”

He winked at her, and as she took a bite of curry her cheeks heated again. He’d have to talk to the restaurant about putting too much seasoning in that dish again, he didn’t want to burn her mouth.

They ate dinner together in comfortable silence, as usual, and afterwards Rey lectured him through the rest of her notes. Ben enjoyed learning more about what she was studying, and he had to admit that he swooned - just a little bit - over the sound of her voice.

Rey aced the exam, and Ben couldn’t have been more proud. He was sure to tell her so.

* * *

“Wow, you look great! Are you going out tonight?”

Rey, standing at the open fridge, looked down at herself and then back up at Ben, who had just walked into the room to fill up his glass of Coke. She was wearing a blouse, and a skirt, and when Ben stepped up next to her to reach into the fridge he noticed she stood taller than usual; she was wearing heels. Rey was a college student who worked part-time at a garage, so to see her in anything other than jeans, flannel, and old sneakers was a surprise. Not a bad one. Ben wasn’t lying - she looked great. Much better than him; he was already getting ready for bed, and had long ago traded his suit for a pair of sweatpants and an old tee shirt. He hoped she wasn’t going out, although he wasn’t sure why he felt that way. Rey was an adult; she could do whatever she wanted to.

“Oh, n-no,” she stammered. “I, uh, have an interview tomorrow for a summer job, and I’ve been trying on some clothes that a friend of mine loaned me. I just came out here for a quick snack.” Once he put the bottle of soda back inside she closed the fridge, and looked down at herself again. “Do you really think I look okay?”

“You look amazing.” He gestured at the skirt, which was bright red with black splotches on it. “That color is perfect for you.”

“Do you think so? I was afraid it’s too much.”

“Not too much.” Ben took two steps back so he could see her better. “It brings out the highlights in your hair, and shows off the green in your eyes. Yeah.” He looked her up and down one more time and took a sip of Coke. “It’s a good color.”

“Wow,” Rey said, tapping her fingers against the granite countertop. “Anyway, I have three other outfits.”

“Yeah,” Ben said. “Great!”

“Maybe you could help me pick one out, to wear tomorrow? For my interview.”

“Oh,” Ben took another sip of Coke and nodded. “Yeah! Of course. Yes.”

He sat on the sofa in the living room and waited while Rey went to her bedroom. Five minutes later she came back out, wearing black slacks and a different blouse - a buttery yellow instead of white - with a blazer that matched the slacks. Her shoes were kitten heels, yellow to match the blouse.

“What do you think?” She asked, standing in front of him and turning around slowly so he could see her from every angle. She glanced at him over her shoulder. “Does this work too?”

Ben kept his eyes locked on her face. “You look so good in this outfit, Rey. The yellow works for you even better than the red does.” She took a deep breath and her cheeks flushed, and suddenly Ben felt very stupid indeed. He allowed his eyes to slip down her body, and then back up. When they returned to her face, Rey was panting.

“You look beautiful.”

She licked her lips before replying, her voice soft and breathy. “Thank you, Ben.”

“Do you have another outfit to try on?”

“I have two more. One more with trousers, the other another skirt.”

Ben nodded slowly, and raked his eyes down her body again. “I think the skirt works better for you. Shows off your legs.”

“Oh,” Rey said, and bit her lip.

“You have very nice legs, it’s a shame to keep them covered. Will you put on the skirt? And then we can decide which works better.”

Without a word, Rey rushed out of the room.

Ben hoped to god he was interpreting things correctly, otherwise this was going to be very embarrassing and potentially disastrous for his relationship with his roommate - which had been, for the six months or so they’d been living together, nothing more than friendly. He sipped his Coke and tapped his bare foot while he waited, but he didn’t have to wait very long. Rey was back more quickly than before, this time wearing a purple and green plaid pencil skirt and a three-quarter sleeved green sweater. Her shoes were green, too.

She turned around in front of him again, and as she posed Ben asked, “What is this interview for?”

“It’s just an internship, but it’s with an engineering firm I’d be interested in working with after I graduate.”

“This would be a good choice, then.” he said, standing. He walked closer, to get a better look. “It’s very professional, and it suits you.” He stood in front of her, very close, and she had to lift her chin up to look him in the eye.

“Do you think so?” She whispered, and her eyes fluttered but he wasn’t sure she did it on purpose.

“I do,” he whispered back, leaning close to her ear and reaching both of his hands behind her. “It makes your ass look _fantastic_.”

Her eyes fluttered closed, and when his hands made contact with said ass, cupping both cheeks firmly, she released a breathy moan.

“You’re a good roommate.” He pulled her body flush with his own, so his erection - which had been growing during the time she was out of the room - pressed against her stomach. Her breath hitched, but her hands stayed at her sides. “You’re the best roommate I’ve ever had.”

“Thank you.” She opened her eyes and gazed up into his, her beautiful hazel eyes shining, pupils wide. “You’re a good roommate, too.”

“Am I?” He slowly began to knead the soft flesh of her backside. “Why?”

“Because you share your things with me, you’re kind, you… appreciate me.”

“Appreciate you?”

She nodded, vigorously. “I’m not used to that, people paying me compliments or giving me things. Thanking me for things.”

Ben traced his lips lightly across her hairline before responding.

“That’s a crime. Because you’re so good, Rey. You’re so good.” Why had he not told her this before?

She finally raised her hands and placed them on his hips.

“You think I’m good?” It sounded like she was ready to cry, and Ben shifted his right hand up to hold her around her back, nosed her ear before whispering.

“You are funny, and capable, and intelligent, and so beautiful, Rey. And you’re kind, you’re generous, and you’re good.”

She dropped her forehead to his chest. “Can I admit something to you right now, Ben?”

“Of course. What do you want to admit?”

She pulled away just far enough that she could look up in his face again. Her eyes focused on his lips for a long moment before flitting back to his eyes.

“I’m not feeling very good right now. In fact, I’m feeling pretty naughty.”

And with that she raised herself up on her toes, and pressed her mouth against his. Her lips were soft and she made the most delicious noises as they kissed; Ben held her as close as he could.

Rey was sweet but it quickly became clear that she was also feisty. She panted and nipped at Ben’s mouth, and encouraged him backwards until his knees hit the sofa; he sat back down with a grunt. She giggled and started to climb onto his lap, but was stymied by the pencil skirt, tight against her thighs.

“Damn,” she muttered, and started to push it up, but Ben stilled her hands.

“Don’t do that if you want to wear it for your interview tomorrow.” He reached around and undid the small hook at the top of the zipper. “Why don’t you just take it off?”

“Oh gosh, that’s a better idea,” Rey said, and she clamored up and removed the skirt. Then she removed the sweater for good measure. She folded both gently and placed them on a nearby chair.

Ben was too busy staring at her to notice exactly what she was doing - aside from the green heels, Rey was completely naked. She saw how he was looking at her, and looked down at herself as she had before. She kicked the shoes across the room and looked back at him anxiously.

“You’re gorgeous,” he insisted. “Come here. I want to touch you.”

Rey didn’t have to be told twice. Within seconds she was back in Ben’s lap, straddling his hips, kissing his mouth and jaw and neck like she wanted to devour him, her hands fisted in his hair.

While she was busy doing that, Ben was taking his time touching her body. She was fit and lean, with strong muscles under soft skin. Her breasts were small but delightful, and when he massaged them in his palms and tweaked her nipples she whined and spread her legs wider, pressing her crotch against his. He let his hands continue to roam, up and over her shoulders and down her back, and when they approached her backside she began to thrust against him in earnest.

“Now Rey,” Ben murmured, the first words they’d spoken in minutes, as he grasped her hips to hold her still. “I have a better idea. May I show you?”

“Yes, please,” she moaned, tightening her knees at his hips but keeping her own hips still.

“There’s my good girl,” he whispered, and she hummed, then squeaked when he moved her back and spread his knees, opening her up in the process. His left hand stayed on her hip, but he moved his right hand around to her front, where it floated between her legs, not touching her. He could feel her heat, though, and he could smell her.

“You smell delicious,” he said, taking an exaggerated sniff. “I bet you taste delicious, too.”

“I wouldn’t know,” she replied, moving her hip again experimentally but ceasing when his fingers dug into the meat of her hip. “I’ve never tasted myself.”

“That is also a crime.” Ben closed the distance between her pussy and his fingers, and took great pleasure in her gasp, and the way her body tightened up and her head hit his shoulder when he stroked the soft, slick skin between her clit and her opening. “Too many crimes for such a good girl. I’m going to taste you, in just a minute, if that’s okay with you. Is that okay with you?”

Rey nodded vigorously; the movement made her buns bounce, and Ben thought about how nice it would feel to have one of those buns bouncing in his hand. But both his hands were full at the moment; maybe they could do that later. Right now, Ben had something else he wanted to do. It was a long shot, and still might get him in trouble, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

“But I’m not going to taste you until you taste yourself. Okay?”

Rey nodded again, and started to say yes, but the word morphed into a cry when Ben slipped his middle finger into her hot wetness. Ben felt like the luckiest guy on earth. He stroked inside her, all the way to his knuckle and back out, enjoying her heat, how wet she was, and the noises she made as he touched her - sweet mewls and sighs, like a little feral animal, just on the cusp of being tamed. He was impressed by how long she managed to keep herself still, long enough for her juice to drip down his wrist, but eventually she tried to move her hips again. He allowed it, but only a slight twitch.

“Oh god,” she moaned, “feels so good, so good.”

“You deserve it,” he said, giving her one more stroke inside before removing his finger completely. “You’re such a good girl. Here.” He lifted his shoulder, pushing her away, and held his finger up between them. “Let’s see how you taste. Show me your tongue, Rey.”

She did as he asked, and he wiped the slick pad of his middle finger against the softness of her tongue. The sensation was thrilling, and the visual of his roommate - his beautiful, intelligent, funny, perfect, _good_ roommate - licking her own juice off his finger was almost too much for him to take. 

"Do you like it?"

Rey nodded, as a single tear escaped the outer corner of her right eye and traced down her cheek.

He growled, and shoved his finger in his own mouth, sucking it as hard as he could. Rey’s eyes grew wide like saucers, and stayed that way until he pulled it out with a pop.

“Delicious,” he said.

“Fuck,” she said.

“Face first,” he insisted. With that he shifted her over, setting her right knee on the sofa and lifting her left one up far enough that he could slip down, between her legs, his butt landing on the floor with a bump, the back of his head following on the edge of the sofa. He tipped his head up and set Rey back down, so her pussy landed directly on his mouth.

“Jesus,” she said again, “ _Fuck_.”

She didn't say anything else for a while, unless you counted cries, moans, or animalistic whines, which Ben did not. He held her by her hips, and she gripped him by the hair, fisting and tugging just enough to sting but not enough to hurt. His cock was so hard it was painful; he was so glad he was wearing sweats.

Her pussy was pink and soft, and so wet it slipped easily over his tongue and nose and chin. "You're perfect," he grunted, lifting her up so he could take a breath. "I was right, you're delicious and you're fucking _perfect_."

Rey whined loudly and pressed herself back on his face, rubbing her pussy over his mouth for good measure. "M'close, so close, don't stop!" Ben wanted more than anything to hear Rey's orgasm, to taste it, so he redoubled his efforts, licking and sucking from her clit to her opening and back again, penetrating her with his tongue, and then with one finger, and another. Two fingers and a hard suck on her clit did the trick. Rey screamed and shuddered, then collapsed forward against the sofa cushions as fluid gushed out of her pussy and into Ben's mouth. He lapped at her for a moment; she twitched and moaned quietly.

"Come down here, sweetheart," he murmured, helping her climb down onto his lap. She attempted to grasp his hard cock through the front of his sweatpants, but he took her hand and pressed it to his lips, still drenched with her fluids.

"But I want it," she said, her voice sounding slightly drunk. She gazed at him, eyes shining, before pushing his hand aside and leaning in for a kiss. She kissed him deeply, as though she was going to suck out all of what she’d given him earlier. Eventually she pulled away and sighed. "Want you."

"I want you too, but in a minute." He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear with his free hand. "I'm enjoying this."

"Me too." She snuggled down into his chest and watched him kiss her fingers. After a moment she spoke again. Her voice was soft, tentative. "Did you do it on purpose?"

Ben paused his kissing and frowned. "What?"

"I mean, it's okay if you did." She stared over his shoulder, avoiding his eyes, and he could feel her putting her barrier back up. "I'd just like to know, is all."

"Know what?" Ben was thoroughly confused.

She huffed, clearly frustrated. "If it was a game. All the compliments and stuff." She waved her free hand around. "If you just wanted to get into my pants all this time. I mean it’s fine if you did, obviously, I’m here, but if there was more than that-"

"Oh, shit." Realization flooded Ben and he reached his arms around to pull her close. "No. No, no, no. I'm just an idiot. I think you're amazing and I didn't think twice about telling you so. I didn't realize what was happening until about thirty minutes ago."

"Oh wow," Rey said, relaxing as a smile played at the corner of her mouth. "Thinking about it, six months is a pretty long time to be playing a con like that. It’s also a long time for you not to realize what a huge crush I have on you, when I’m so obvious about it all the time. You _are_ a dummy."

"I am," he agreed, reaching up to stroke the pad of his thumb across the smooth, flushed skin of her cheekbone. "But I'm your dummy, if you want. Still want, I guess."

Rey laughed, her hand snaking its way once more towards the lump at the front of his sweatpants, which was somehow larger than ever, despite the serious conversation.

"I do want," she answered with a smile, giving him a squeeze. "I do."

Ben kissed her gently as she pulled out his cock. "You're so good," he said. And he meant it.

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't read andabatae's Twitter fic "Crash Into Me" you should go do it right now, [here it is!](https://twitter.com/Andabatae1/status/1225562044772048900)


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